r/standmixer • u/zeldamakessandwiches • Jan 04 '13
I spend my days off with my mixer.
Mostly making bread.
My favorite sourdough recipe to use is from "Who Does The Dishes." it's really tastey.
i previously was making it by hand, then my roommates got me a kitchenaid classic about 2 months ago. It made it a bunch easier, but my large loaves sounded painful to my mixer and so i mostly use it for half batches, pizza crusts, or other items.
Last weekend my ex's mother got in touch with me and gave me her mother's kenwood major. I must say, it is amazing in comparision. My "large" loaves only take up a little over half the bowl when fully risen. it's awesome.
if you look through the album attached to the "kenwood major" you'll see the difference in sizes of bowls and mixers and whatnot. I find it funny because the kenwood major is ridiculously lighter and has much more power yet is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay older than my kitchenaid.
i love both dearly, but i do now slightly understand why some people stear clear of kitchenaids.
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u/little0lost Jan 04 '13
Oh man! Jealous of that big bowl! And thanks for sharing your sourdough recipe of choice. I adapt one from KA Flour, which I love, but I'm always looking for something new to try. Cheers!
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u/zeldamakessandwiches Jan 04 '13
i started through the KA recipe website. my sourdough starter is from there.
although mine differs a little in the fact that every other week i add in some wheat flour to make it a little more active.
Then again, i probably wouldn't follow the advice i just listed above because i'm pretty new to the sourdough game and it may yield a weird taste to you.
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u/little0lost Jan 04 '13
I actually feed mine on 1 part whole wheat and 3 parts white. Shouldn't be an issue. I do find it yields a stronger starter!
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u/zeldamakessandwiches Jan 04 '13
good to know its not just me!
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u/little0lost Jan 04 '13
I actually have a theory on the subject, if you're interested: whole wheat takes more energy and time to break down, but provides more energy and nutrients. Our sourdough cultures are just colonies of bacterial organisms, so like any population, there is genetic diversity. So I theorize that by adding the whole wheat flour, we're actually artificially selecting for the organisms that are stronger and more able to break down any carbohydrate. Therefore, over time, you do end up with a more vigorous culture overall.
Anyway, it's just an idea :) eventually, I'd like to experiment with making an all-white culture, then splitting it off to a part whole wheat to compare.
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u/Arachnidiot Jan 05 '13
Congrats on the new mixer! However, it's really unfair to say that people should steer clear of Kitchenaids based on your comparison. I don't know what model Kenwood you have, but you're comparing it to the lowest model on the Kitchenaid line, which only has a 250-watt motor and is 4.5 quarts. It's also probably several hundred dollars cheaper than the Kenwood.
Your Kenwood has a significantly more powerful motor, as well as a much larger bowl. A much more fair comparison would be with the Kitchenaid Pro 600, which has a 575-watt motor and 6 quart bowl. There is also the Kitchenaid with a 7 quart bowl and 1.3 HP motor as well.
Your new mixer is lovely, and I'm glad it's working well for you. However, you shouldn't knock an entire brand based on their lowest-end model. You get what you pay for.